When I was a little girl, my all-time favorite holiday was Halloween.

I got way more candy than I could ever fit in my Easter basket. And traipsing through neighborhood streets past my bedtime was way more fun than snuggling in bed waiting for Santa.

Plus I got to play dress-up!

Probably my most original costume was the year I went as a cigarette girl. I thought it was clever, but it was way over the head of everyone in my sixth-grade class and my principal at Poplar Street Elementary was not at all pleased. Today I can hardly believe I’m the same gal who made that costume choice!

But while I loved dressing up for Halloween as a kid, I absolutely HATE dressing up for Halloween parties now.

Why?

Because even though I know it’s all for fun, I really don’t want to be anyone but who I am for even one minute. After years of struggling to “find myself,” I have no desire to “try on” any other character—be it a glamorous genie or a hideous zombie.

Let’s face it, whenever we don a costume, of any kind, it reminds us how much clothes inherently change the way we feel about ourselves and the way others perceive us.

The same thing happens when we put on any outfit. Even in our ordinary, everyday lives.

Our STYLE, the way we combine and wear myriad fashion items like clothes, shoes and accessories, expresses who we are and what we’re feeling to the world.

The world perceives this message we’re trying to send, forms an impression of us that we call our IMAGE, and sends it back to us.

I suspect one of the reasons why so many people love Halloween is because it allows you to try-on and express a different aspect of yourself for just one night. And often it’s an aspect that you don’t express to the world everyday.

But you don’t need to limit that aspect to Halloween.

Figure out what it is you’re trying to express on Halloween and then figure out a way to express it in a micro-way in your everyday dress.

Were you attracted to a costume this year that was funny? Naughty? Glamorous? Gross?

Does it possibly represent an aspect of yourself that you’ve been hiding or running from? What would happen if you tried to embrace and express that element more from day-to-day? How can you integrate that quality in your dress?

Maybe you could wear a t-shirt with a funny logo. Or pair your skirt with a sexy pair of patterned tights. Or try-on a pair of distressed or graffiti jeans.

It makes me wonder if one of the reasons so many of us women have so many pairs of shoes is because they’re such a great way to express different elements of ourselves. And we all have so many different elements we need to express.

I mean cowboy boots say something a whole lot different than gladiator sandals. Preppy flats speak a totally different language than today’s VPOD, a pair of super sexy Fendi peep-toe heels.

I particularly love these because they can be paired with a fab little black dress to give a perfect nod to the spirit of Halloween without requiring that I don a costume this year.

Plus they’re great year-round finds for a Vintage Crusader!

Available at C. Madeleines.

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